When I was little, I loved the playground. Now, this might not sound particularly unique. What little kid doesn’t love the playground? But to me the playground always held such promise, containing a multitude of play-pretend stories just waiting to unravel, or hulking monuments of colorful bars to climb. I once kept my fingers crossed through an entire second-grade afternoon, hoping that it would mean my mom would take my sister and I to the park. 

As I grew up, my playground enthusiasm may have waned from its original, finger-breaking fervor, but swing sets and monkey bars held an important place in my adolescence. Well into my teens I’d travel to Mt. Lebanon Park or an elementary school playground with my friends, excited to have somewhere public to sit, chat and be active for free. 

Public playgrounds are an incredibly useful resource for parents or teens trying to fill the long summer days, and Mt. Lebanon possesses quite a few between the elementary schools and little hidden neighborhood spots. I took it upon myself to visit each playground personally, like the connoisseur I am, and put together this guide. Hopefully you’ll discover the benefits of a playground you’ve yet to visit, or maybe one that you didn’t even realize existed.

At the very least, perhaps you’ll enjoy the mental image of a grown woman traversing our entire municipality to gauge the shadiness of a tire swing. 

Foster Elementary School Park

Ah, Foster. My old stomping grounds. I may be a bit biased to this spot, since it makes me so nostalgic. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that Foster is an underrated gem. Not only does it have a sizable field and blacktop with a basketball court, there’s also a tennis court. A great big tree in the middle offers plentiful shade over much of the play area, and some special features beyond the typical playground equipment include a rock wall, Sway-Fun (a platform with benches that can sway back and forth,) an X-Wave (a curvy balance beam that shifts as you walk across it) and a gaga ball pit. There are nine picnic tables to use while your kids play or for snack time, plus multiple benches and a short wall. Excitingly, the tire swings are back for now, they’ve been intermittently missing in the past for repairs. Beyond the playground, there’s even a nature trail through the small patch of woods around the field. 

Rockwood Park

Rockwood Park is nestled between Rockwood and Vallevista Avenues with a small parking lot on Vallevista. This neighborhood spot is in the Foster area, and, while obviously smaller than an elementary park, still boasts a playset, swings, basketball court and a spinning-while-hanging-on-contraption. A shaded bench sits by the playground and a two picnic tables are slightly up the hill under a pavilion. Due to its smaller size, Rockwood is quieter, but not without variety of play options. 

Howe Elementary School Park

Howe was one of the playgrounds I actually knew the least about. For whatever reason, I don’t think youth soccer brought me there very often, and as such I had little reason to go out of my way. I was immediately struck by the plentiful monkey bars options, so if your kid loves monkey bars, then this is the place for them. One of the playsets was more updated than the other, but the inclusion of two helps fill out the playground. Plus, since they’re quite different, it increases the variety of equipment. There’s also a small observation tower where kids can crawl up a ladder through the middle and look out at the playground. I didn’t see anything like this at any of the other playgrounds, and I’m sure that if I had something like it when I was a kid it would’ve become the princess tower or prison cell of many a make-believe story. The field is connected to the playground, so parents could easily sit and watch from the bleachers or the two picnic tables. There’s some solid shade from the surrounding trees — plus I just love that tucked-away feeling. Howe also joins Foster in the roster of schools with a gaga ball pit. If you’re like me and have never ventured to this playground, it may be worth the journey. 

Williamsburg Park

I hadn’t been to Williamsburg park since the annual Mellon Middle School end of sixth grade trip, so returning felt like stepping back into the past (although my sister is adamant that they removed and replanted many of the trees and thus it is not the same). Perhaps the most notable characteristic of this park is the great big hill and trail around it. There’s also tennis courts and a basketball court. The playset is relatively standard and small, set on a patch of grassy turf rather than woodchips. One thing Williamsburg has that the other similarly sized neighborhood playgrounds don’t have is six fully shaded picnic tables under a pavilion, the feature that probably made it most appealing for a grade-wide end of year event. This park may not necessarily be a stand out for its playground, but its large size, ample seating, nature trail and other amenities make it a well-rounded experience. 

Country Club Park

Another neighborhood park, this spot lays at the very end of Country Club Drive, near St. Winifred Church and the Mt. Lebanon Golf Course. I’d never been here before my journalistic mission, but I was charmed by how quiet and tucked away this park felt. It’s at the very end of a dead-end street, which unfortunately means there’s only street parking. But there were plenty of trees, a picnic table and two benches. With a basketball court, swings and a playset slightly bigger than Rockwood’s, the awkward parking could be overlooked. 

Church Place Park

This little park had flown entirely under my radar. It’s actually not owned by the municipality, just maintained by it. Located right off Washington road on Lavina Avenue, this park made up in charm what it lacked in size. It had a similar turf ground and playset to the other small neighborhood playgrounds I had seen, but felt exceptionally well-maintained. The neat landscaping gives the impression that you’re hanging out in a nice backyard, and the nearby community garden added to that vibe. Plus, there were two picnic benches under a little pavilion on one side, which is always convenient. Like Country Club Park, there wasn’t a designated parking lot, so again this park would be great for people within walking distance.   

Lincoln Elementary School Park

Lincoln is a two-level playground. The top level is well-shaded and slightly smaller. The spread of playsets is appealing, with plenty of swings, slides and monkey bars. Despite all this, I think the coolest thing about this park is the proximity to Beverly Shops. You can grab lunch or coffee or browse a couple stores then head over to a sizable playground. The sheer quantity of available equipment makes this a great spot to keep kids entertained and means that it can hold more people at a time without having a traffic jam on the slide. Plus, the playground is right next to the newer, wildly popular pickleball courts. But keep in mind, that park is actually different from Lincoln and requires its own reservations for courts! 

Jefferson Elementary School Park

Now, if I thought Lincoln offered a lot, I was blown away by Jefferson. Not only does it have two playgrounds, one by the entrance and one tucked around the side, but it also has mini soccer fields with goals and tons of basketball hoops. Jefferson had so many swings I stopped counting. Each playground has its own sizable playset with plenty of seating. There were many multicolored picnic tables up by a little school garden. Walking around Jefferson, I felt more and more surprised by the vast offerings. The playground by the entrance also offered a fair amount of shade and a gorgeous view of the surrounding hills as it stands at an elevated vantage point. Plus, because Jefferson Elementary and Middle are connected, there is a ton of field space and a nice track, offering even more options to tire your kids out so you don’t need to spend all summer with them bouncing off the walls. 

Hoover Elementary Park

I’ve always admired Hoover’s funky architecture and how it stands out from the other elementary schools. I mean, c’mon, how cool is it to have a turtle and koi pond in the middle of your school? I was pleasantly surprised that their playground, while not reinventing the wheel perhaps, still offered some new and unique features. There were these little standing see-saws that delighted my sister and I (once we figured out how they worked) plus a classic looping ladder jungle gym. There were tons of benches, some of them shaded, and a solid bit of swings. Plus, attached to the playset was a rock climb seemingly made out of real rock with little fossil imprints in it. Creative touches like that can make a world of difference for young imaginations. This playground was also a bit up on a hill, giving a nice (but safely fenced-in) view. And, being one of the smaller elementary schools, it was very quiet and peaceful here. 

Washington Elementary School Park 

I spent a good amount of time here when I was younger, especially in middle school since Mellon is only a stone’s throw away. Speaking of, parking at Washington playground can be a little confusing, so the Mellon lot is a good alternative. Washington has two levels. The lower level has slides, a rock wall, tire swings, normal swings, a twisty balance contraption, a playset and a new addition of drums that I delighted in repeatedly hitting. There’s also a fair bit of blacktop. The upper level has more shade and four benches plus a covered picnic table, and in my opinion, it was always the place to go for climbing and monkey bars. We also have another gaga ball pit. Connecting the two areas is a pavement ramp with fun chalk-paint on it encouraging kids to jump in a pattern or follow a trail. Like Lincoln, Washington is close to a variety of shops and restaurants. It was a favorite pastime of mine to get an Italian soda at Uptown Coffee or fries with ranch at Mineo’s then head over to Washington playground in middle school. Washington is also close to Mt. Lebanon Public Library. You could build out a whole day of lunch, playing and finding books to check out without even needing to move your car. 

Mt. Lebanon Park

Mt. Lebanon Park, known informally as Main Park, exists in a strange third type of park, because it isn’t a school playground, but it also isn’t a small neighborhood playground. It’s right by the rec center and pool on an incline with two different levels. You can park in the main rec center parking lot, but that tends to get crowded, especially on hot summer days, by pool visitors. There’s a lot a bit further up the hill with three hour parking if you can’t find any in the main lot. I always perceived Main Park as split into the older kids level and the younger kids level. Of course, anyone can enjoy both levels, but the upper level has more complicated climbing equipment, “spinny things” that can reach high speeds and a big circular balance beam that also, you guessed it, spins. There’s also a set of swings.

The lower level is Martha’s Playground, first built in 2007 in honor of FBI Special Agent Martha Dixon. Annual fundraiser Martha’s Run gathers donations to build playgrounds in the Pittsburgh area in Dixon’s memory. This special playground includes an inventive playset, mini see-saws, and little musical games that fit a younger audience. There are also multiple pavilions with picnic tables and a bounty of benches. Tall trees offer much-needed shade, and there’s even a path up through the trees up the hill.

Main Park can get crowded, because it’s well-known and right by the pool, but it’s earned that favoritism with its sheer size. 

Markham Elementary School Park

The Markham playground is another one I had never visited, and honestly, I was shocked. There was much more than I expected. Tennis courts, basketball courts, a big field, two full sized see-saws, tons of picnic tables and benches, multiple playsets, many slides, tire swings, 14 normal swings, a gaga pit, a jungle gym and tons of trees. Not only were there many iterations of the standard playground options, but also more unique features. I don’t know the last time my sister and I were on a real life-sized see-saw, but it was a delight. For a park that rarely even crossed my mind growing up here, it ticked a ton of boxes. 

Iroquois Park

This is the park that led me to a verbal feud with Google Maps as it directed me to the Galleria parking lot. I was certain it led me astray, until I discovered a path through the grass by Houlihan’s that leads to this teensy neighborhood park at the end of Iroquois Drive (which is another place you could park if the Galleria isn’t calling your name). Featuring a teensy playset, a fascinating climbing apparatus, a couple swings, a basketball court, two picnic tables and some benches, it’s a nice spot if you’re in the area, or if you find yourself at the Galleria and in need of a playground. 

Highland Terrace Park

This park is on Sunridge Drive, off Connor Road. It features a very similar playset to Iroquois, a picnic table and a swing bench, which I hadn’t seen anywhere else. There’s also a bit of a basketball court. There’s really only street parking options for this park, and even with street parking I had to walk down a bit of a hill. This sweet little playground is clearly intended for people in the neighborhood, who can’t really walk to Foster without needing to cross Connor. It’s a great little space to get your kids outside, though nothing to travel lengths for.  

Of course, at the end of the day I could ramble on and on about these playgrounds, but I can’t know specifically what would work for you or your family. Some parks are great for kids that love swings, while another might offer plenty of seating for weary parents. All of the playgrounds in Mt. Lebanon offer their own positive features, and I highly recommend getting outside and enjoying the fresh air.